King and Lionheart
by McKinnon-and-Black-forever
Summary: Lily didn't like the fact that she had to serve the new prince.


**A/N: This was written for the February jily challenge on tumblr. My prompt was 'so you're the rebel knight who has decided to conquer my land and oh shit with your helmet off you're actually pretty hot' au. I had a lot of fun writing this so I hope you guys enjoy reading it. Review!**

The clash of swords greeted Lily's ears as she pulled on her armor. They were under attack. This city hadn't been attacked in over a thousand years, and some idiots had decided to attack when Lily was having a bad day. No matter. They would be deposed of quickly, and Lily's life would return to normal.

Quickly, she marched down the stairs of the keep and ran straight into Marlene and Dorcas.

"What are you two doing here?" Lily demanded to know. They had left before she had to join the fray in the courtyard.

"We're being overwhelmed," Marlene explained. "There's too many."

Lily snorted. "We'll figure something out. Now, let's get back down there and fight."

The other girls nodded, and Lily stepped in front of them, grabbed her helmet, and left the safety of the Keep.

Unfortunately, Marlene was right. They were vastly outnumbered. Lily didn't know if she'd ever seen an army this size before. No matter, they'd still defeat them. No one marched on this city and lived to tell the tale.

Drawling her sword from its sheath, she marched into the crowd of those fighting, dying, and fleeing. She came in contact with an enemy sword for a few moments before she delivered a death blow. These idiots had no idea how to guard themselves properly. Scanning the crowds, she searched for their leader. If she could take him out, then they'd stand a better chance at winning. Lily always found that quickest way to defeat your enemy was to break his spirit.

Just as she spotted the man fighting in the middle—the one who was no doubt their leader—a long blast sounded from the horns that signaled to Lily that she needed to put her sword away. She did so immediately. Looking around, she spotted McGonagall striding out of the castle and into the courtyard. Everyone went silent, no one daring to move at the sight of the old women walking through the courtyard. She made her way up to the man sitting atop his horse.

Lily watched quietly. Her leader spoke to the man softly and she couldn't hear a thing they were saying, even if the courtyard was dead silent. Finally, McGonagall turned around.

"We will surrender," the women announced. "Anyone who lifts sword against these men will find themselves in the dungeons."

Lily nearly dropped her sword. What was happening?

Just then she heard a whoop. Turning her head, she saw the knight she had been heading for pulling off his helmet. Why did the bastard have to be cute?

* * *

Lily stomped into McGonagall's office. She knew she was acting like a child, but she couldn't bring herself to care. They'd just given themselves over to the enemy and she was just supposed to go along with that? Hell no.

"Lily," McGonagall greeted her. "I see you're a bit put out."

Lily snorted. "That's putting it lightly."

A glare sliced through her. "It had to be done, Lily. We were outnumbered. It was either surrender or die."

"Then we should have gone down swinging," she hissed, leaning forward in her chair. "Instead, we're stuck with a life of servitude to _them_."

A gleaming darkness appeared in the older women's eyes. "Oh, if you think we're going to serve them blindly, my dear, you're mistaken. In fact, I already have a plan laid out. Tomorrow, you're going to begin guarding the prince and by doing so you'll set this plan in motion."

"Go on," Lily said, a gleam in her eye.

* * *

The new _prince_ was the most yappy person she'd ever meant. He kept asking her questions, which she chose not to answer. If he heard her speak, he'd find out she was a girl; it would probably blow his piney little mind. Still, she hated to note that he had a nice voice.

"You know, it's kinda of hard to carry on a conversation by ones self," he commented.

Lily snorted. He seemed to be doing a fine job.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, jostling his glasses as he pointed at her. "I finally got a reaction out of you!"

Lily rolled her eyes. Then she realized a smile was sliding over her lips. Horror flung itself upon her. She would not like this boy. She refused to. So no matter what he said, for the rest of the day, Lily kept quiet and made sure nothing slipped onto her lips.

* * *

Lily was guarding the new prince as they received the nobles, who had decided to come and pay a visit to the new king, when she got the shock of her life.

"Lady Petunia of Cokesworth."

Lily's back went ramrod straight when she heard the name. The doors opened and her sister stepped inside the palace, blonde hair curled atop her head. The last time she had seen her sister, Lily had been in tears, and Petunia hadn't been a lady. No, their mother had won Petunia that title after Lily had left. She'd married the Lord of Cokesworth, it seemed.

Her sister was merely a girl when Lily left to join the Lionhearts, now though, she was a full grown women. Petunia would probably laugh at where she was now. She always thought that Lily was too much of a tomboy anyway. Unfortunately for Lily, she let her mind wander to a place it shouldn't.

* * *

 _Lily grinned as she ran through the wheat fields. Her sister was far behind her—so far that Lily wouldn't have to worry about Petunia catching her. Her sister wasn't the most athletic person in the world._

 _Giggling, Lily ran faster as her sister yelled for to slow down. When she reached the end of the field, Lily quickly made her way behind a tree. Once she saw that her sister was still far away, she began to climb. Another giggle slipped out of her as Petunia looked for her, but could not find her. That was when Lily heard the pounding of hooves._

 _A horse came into view and her sister screamed. The man on the horse slowed as he spotted Petunia, who was frozen in her place. The man stopped under Lily's tree._

" _What are you doing here, little girl?" he asked._

 _Petunia's only reply was a sob. Cracked, yellow teeth made their appearance as the man grinned. Lily hated him for looking at her sister like that. Before she could think about it, she dropped from her tree and onto the man's back. Immediately, his horse spooked and bolted, throwing Lily and the man from its back._

 _A jolt went through Lily's body when she landed and she tasted blood in her mouth. Another scream sounded. Blinking rapidly, she sat up and saw that her sister had yet again screamed. However, it wasn't because of the man. A warrior in chainmail and a helmet stood over the man. A sword pointed down at his throat, and he was trembling. A grin slid over Lily's face._

 _The warrior nodded to the man's horse, and in a flash, he was up and stumbling toward it. A carriage stood behind them with an elegant old women taking in the scene. Suddenly, Lily was ashamed of her dirty clothes. Surely this women thought she was some kind of homeless person. Lily's attention was drawn away from the lady to the warrior again. The helmet was gone and a women stood before them._

 _Petunia's eyes were bugging out of her head in disbelief. The women grinned down at Lily._

" _Did you get that idea all by yourself or did someone teach you to jump on horses like that?" she asked Lily._

 _Lily's chest puffed out. "I thought of it myself."_

 _A laugh fell from the warrior's mouth. "Get in the carriage and we'll give you a ride home."_

* * *

 _That night, Lily couldn't stop thinking about the woman who had saved them. She'd never seen a woman who was a warrior before. Petunia said that it was unladylike for woman to handle a sword; she had even turned her nose up at the beautiful warrior. Lily raced up to the room she shared with Petunia and climbed into bed._

" _Do you think I could be like her one day, Tunny?" she asked, sliding under the covers._

 _"Why would you want to be like her?" Petunia replied._

" _Because she's brave, and she probably goes on so many adventures!" Lily exclaimed._

 _Petunia snorted. "You can still go on adventures, Lily. You just don't have to put yourself in harm's way."_

" _Where's the fun in that?" she retorted._

 _Petunia laughed. "Go to sleep Lily."_

* * *

 _Lily awoke the next day to the sound of voices. She looked over to her sister's bed, but Petunia was nowhere to be found. Just as Lily was climbing out of bed, the door opened and her mother appeared in the doorway. A small smile was on her face, but it wasn't the kind she normally gave her daughters._

" _Come along, Lily," her mother said softly._

 _Lily hopped out of bed and skipped down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen, she found the warrior and the lady from the day before._

" _Hello," the warrior greeted her. "I don't believe we were properly introduced yesterday. I'm Alice. And this is the Overseer, Minerva McGonagall." The older women nodded to her. "And you're Lily, aren't you?"_

 _Lily could only nod.  
_

 _Alice grinned at her. "What you did yesterday was very brave. Especially for so young a girl. And we've got a proposition for you, if you would like to hear it."_

" _Yes, I would, please," Lily whispered in response._

" _Have you ever heard of the Lionhearts?" Alice asked. When Lily nodded her head, she continued. "I thought so. What you probably didn't know is that it's a band of women who protect and lead our country. We find girls just like you, Lily—girls who are brave, smart, and strong—and teach them them how to fight and how to lead. I think you've got the brave part down. I've also discussed it with the Overseer and she thinks that you would make a fine addition. So what do you say? Do you want to be a Lionheart?"_

" _Oh, yes!" Lily shouted as she jumped up and down._

 _Alice smiled. "Good. But, Lily, you must remember to never tell anyone who is a Lionheart or that the group is full of women. Men don't take well to the thought."_

 _Lily giggled. "Alright."_

* * *

 _Lily was to leave with the Lionhearts that evening. Before she left, she went in search of her sister. Finally, she located her under a tree in the field._

" _There you are!" Lily exclaimed as she sat down next to her sister. "Did you hear? I'm going to be a Lionheart!"_

 _Petunia didn't respond._

" _Tunny, isn't it amazing?" she pushed. "I'm going to save the world and help other people and-"  
_

" _Don't you get it? She sold you!" Petunia burst out. "Mum sold you because you aren't good for anything! You weren't going to help us bring in money and those people wanted you, so she sold you! Honestly, did you really believe that you were special?"_

" _You're lying," Lily whispered._

" _No. I'm not."_

 _With that, Petunia stood up and marched toward their house. Lily could only watch her as she slammed the door closed. For a moment, she just sat there in shock. Then the tears began to fall. How could her mother do this it to her? How could she sell her? Ashamed, Lily buried her face in her knees._

 _The sound of armor meant her ears as someone sat down next to her._

" _What's the matter, little one?" Alice asked. "I thought you wanted to go with us?"  
_

" _Tunny, s-said Mum sold m-me to y-you," she sobbed. "She said I wasn't s-special."_

" _Oh, dear, that's not true," Alice told her. "If you wanted to go with us, we were going to give you mother a sum of money because she wouldn't have you there to help her. It's not her selling you to us. It's more like a pension. If you want to stay here, you are more than welcome to. We just thought that you might have something more to offer the world one day."_

 _Lily bit her lip as she glanced back to her small house. "I do have something to offer."_

* * *

Suddenly, Lily couldn't breathe. She had to get out of this room. Her sister couldn't know she was here. Quickly, she turned on her heel and strode from the room. She had no idea where she was going, so when she found herself a secluded section of the garden, she pulled her helmet off, trying to get more air into her lungs.

 _Breathe, Lily,_ she thought. _Breathe. In, out. Just like that. Good girl._

Then she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Spinning around, sword in hand, Lily came face to face with the prince, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"You're a girl," he whispered.

"Say another word and I'll rip you to shreds," Lily snarled at him.

"No, I believe you," he said with his hands in the air. "I just. . .are you ok? You seemed freaked out in there."

A moment passed, then Lily lowered her sword.

"I'm fine," she told him. "You should go back to receiving your new court."

He waved that off. "It's boring. Besides, I'd rather know more about you."

"What if I don't want to tell you about me?" Lily retorted. " _Prince_."

The prince gave her an annoyed look. "My name is James, not prince. I've given you a piece information about myself, now it's your turn to tell me something about yourself. Preferably your name."

She glared at him. "My name is Lily. Now will you shut up?"

"You know, being quiet was never one of my good strengths."

With a growl, Lily shoved the prince back toward the castle as she pulled her helmet on. She had a feeling that she was going to regret telling this boy her name.

* * *

"So, Lily-"

"Would you stop using my name," she muttered darkly as she and the prince walked down to the stables.

"Would you rather I call you something else? Ginger? Carrot-top? Or my favorite, Red?" he asked.

"First of all," she muttered. "My hair is not carrot red. It is dark red so you cannot call me carrot-top. And if you try to, you will find yourself on your arse before you can finish getting it out of your mouth. Second, I would rather you didn't call me anything at all and stop distracting me when I'm trying to do my job."

"No offense, but your job seems pretty boring," he told her.

"Well, why don't I run my sword through your stomach then? Would that make it fun?" she retorted.

"You have a very dark sense of humor," he observed. "I like it."

Lily prayed she wouldn't strangle him before she was let off duty.

"So what's your favorite color?" he asked.

Lily sighed. "It's yellow."

A grin split his face. "I finally got you to answer!"

"Don't celebrate just yet," she mumbled.

* * *

"So the king's chambers is right here," Dorcas said, pointing to the map. "And the prince's is right across from his. We can take the servants' entrance and bypass their guards, leaving us with an easy kill."

"You're forgetting on thing," Lily interrupted. "Once we off the king and his son, who's going to deal with their men that are swarming this castle like flies? Are they just going to bow to us so easily?"

Dorcas looked away and shook her head.

"Exactly," Lily continued. "We can't make a move until we're sure that the men who serve him will also serve us."

"I heard the prince is awfully chatty," Marlene put in. "You could be using that time to gain information that we could use against him."

Lily blushed. "I'm not going to do that."

"Why not?" Marlene replied.

"Because he's the most annoying person on earth," Lily told her. "And if I start talking to him, he'll think I'm interested in him."

"Are you?" Dorcas challenged.

"No!" Lily exclaimed as they other two girls laughed.

* * *

Lily made her way through the Keep until she reached McGonagall's office. Gently, she knocked on the door before pushing it open. After entering the Overseer's office, she sat in front of her desk.

"You wanted to see me," Lily said.

"Yes, I did," McGonagall replied, slightly paler than usual. "I wanted to ask you about how guarding the prince was coming."

"It's fine," Lily told her. "No one has tried to attack the prince, and I haven't heard any rumors that would suggest that he was in danger."

A small smirk fell over McGonagall's lips. "I wasn't talking about death threats or attacks. Marlene mentioned that the prince annoys you."

Lily rolled her eyes. "He talks too much, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"I'm glad to hear that," McGonagall said. "If he makes you uncomfortable or-"

"I'll tell you," Lily assured her.

"You're dismissed."

Lily stood up and exited the room. She sighed as she thought about how far she had come since arriving here.

* * *

" _So if men wouldn't like the fact that women are in charge, why does the Overseer not where something to cover her face?" Lily asked as they bumped along the road to the Keep, the castle where all of the Lionhearts were trained._

 _Alice chuckled. "You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you? Well, she's the messenger for the 'Emperor'. In reality, there is no Emperor. We just tell everyone that so they won't know who really runs the country."_

 _Lily nodded as the carriage jerked to a stop. "Are we here?"_

 _Alice grinned. "We are."_

 _Lily hopped out of the carriage and looked at the castle that would soon be her home. It was huge, but she saw no servants scurrying around. There wasn't even a stable boy to come and take care of their horses._

" _Where is everyone?" Lily asked._

" _There are no servants here," Alice explained. "We do everything ourselves. You'll learn that soon enough. Come on. I'll show you where you're meant to stay."_

 _Lily followed Alice through the twisting corridors until they reached a hidden tunnel that lead below the castle._

" _We're going down there?" she asked._

" _Yep," Alice said. "We stay down here because no one knows these tunnels exist. We're safe and if we need to, we can go underground and hide."_

 _They continued through the tunnels finally reaching a room with six beds in it._

" _This is where you'll be staying," Alice told her. "Your bed is at the very end. That's Dorcas. The other girls you'll be staying with should be in shortly."_

 _The girl named Dorcas looked up. "What's your name?"_

" _Lily," she answered._

" _Welcome to the Lionhearts, Lily."_

* * *

James and Lily were once again in the stables. James was petting a horse while Lily stood watch outside his stall.

"He's rather pretty," James said as he patted the horse.

"Are we just going to come out here every day so you can pet the horses and say how pretty they are?" Lily asked.

James shot her a look. "Why? Don't you like horses?"

"I like horses," she replied. "But most of the time, the reason a prince comes out to the stables is to ride a horse. Not pet them."

"Fine," James muttered. "We'll go for a ride."

Lily pushed off of the wall and signaled to one of the stable boys to saddle two horses. He did so rather quickly and soon James and Lily were on their way out of the barn. However, their ride wasn't as long as Lily thought it would be. After they were a few paces away from the barn, James promptly fell out of the saddle.

Lily jumped down from her horse. "Are you ok? I swear stable boys have no common sense these days. They can't even do their jobs right. I'll go have a word with him."

James grabbed her arm. "It's not his fault. It's mine."

"How is it your fault?" she asked. "Did you mess with the saddle?"

"No," he answered. "I just. . .um, can't ride a horse."

Lily blinked. "You can't ride? Well, how did you get here then?"

"I rode in the wagon?" James told her with as much dignity as he could.

Lily held in a laugh.

"It's not funny!" he exclaimed.

"Tomorrow," she said. "You and I are going to have our first riding lesson."

* * *

"Keep your heels down!" Lily called in a low pitched voice. Last night she'd worked on deepening her voice so she would sound more like man when she taught James to ride. Marlene and Dorcas had agreed that she'd gotten it perfect.

"They are down!" James shouted back.

"No, they're not!" she replied. She had picked out Thunder this morning. Despite his name, Thunder was the sweetest horse in the barn—not to mention the easiest horse to learn on. He didn't spook when Lily and James began they're shouting match.

"That better?" he asked.

"Much," she replied. "Now take him around again."

James glowered at her before riding to the edge of the circular pen and trotting around the ring. Lily watched him all the while, making sure he held his reins correctly and all the other fun stuff that came along with riding.

When they had finished the lesson, James handed Thunder over to a stable boy, and he and Lily headed back to the castle.

"If you didn't yell so much, you'd be a good teacher," James told her.

Lily pushed him into a puddle of water.

* * *

They were about two months into their riding lessons when James didn't show up for his evening lesson. Lily, thoroughly pissed off, set out to find him. She searched the castle high and low, but still found no trace of him. His room held no clues as to where he could be either. Finally, she searched the gardens, and there she found him, sitting by the fountain with his head in his hands.

Lily softened her gate and pulled her helmet off.

"James?" she called softly.

His head snapped up and a slight smile appeared on his face. "Hey. Sorry I missed our lesson. I wasn't feeling up to it."

"What's wrong?" Lily asked as she sat down next to him.

A shuddering sigh escapes his mouth. "It's my dad. He's sick."

"What do you mean? Sick how?" she questioned him.

"Sick like. . . .bad sick," he answered.

"Oh."

Gently, Lily slid her arm around his shoulders and rested her chin on the edge of his shoulder blade.

"I'm sure he'll get better," she said softly. "You've just got to make the best of it until then."

James nodded, but didn't say anything else.

They sat like that for a while, Lily with her arm around him and James leaning slightly forward his elbows on his knees. Lily knew she couldn't say anything to make it better, but she wished she could. This stupid, loud-mouthed boy had become dear to her in the months that he'd been here, she realized. So incredibly dear to her.

"I think I need to go inside now," James said softly, finally.

Lily nodded. "Alright."

* * *

Lily was guarding James when someone ran up from behind him and tackled him to the ground. Lily would have taken off the man's head had James not been laughing.

"Sirius! You weren't supposed to arrive for another two weeks!" James exclaimed.

"Change of plans," the other boy said as he stood up. Lily noted that he was ridiculously handsome. Shouldn't people like him be locked up for looking like that? "Who's this?"

"Oh, Sirius, this is my body guard," James explained.

"Pleasure," he replied. "What's with the helmet? Do you have warts under there?"

Lily slapped his hand away as he reached for her helmet.

"Ouch!"

"Haven't you learned by now, Sirius, that you shouldn't touch things that aren't yours?" a voice sounded from behind them. Two other boys were walking toward them. One was tall; the other was short. Lily didn't even want to know how these four came to know each other.

"Remus! Peter!" James shouted, rushing over and giving each one a hug.

"I know, your life has been supremely boring without us," the tall one said.

"It has," James replied with a smile. "Why didn't you send word you were coming?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Sirius asked. "Does the bodyguard have to follow you everywhere you go?"

"Oh, um, you can take a break," James told her. "I'll be fine."

With a roll of her eyes, Lily strode off.

* * *

"So he just told you to leave?" Marlene asked.

"Yes!" Lily exclaimed. "Can you believe that? What a prick. And I'm the one who makes sure that he's safe everyday. I'm going to laugh if he finds himself without a finger or two because I wasn't there."

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?" Dorcas suggested.

"No!" she retorted. "I'm not."

"Lily. . .you know I won't suggest this unless I saw a reason to," Marlene began. "But do you, by any chance, have feelings for James?"

"What kind of feelings?"

"You know, _feelings_."

"Marlene!" Lily shouted. "How dare you suggest such a thing! Of course I don't! We're plotting to overthrow him remember? I would just like a little gratitude is all."

"Ok," Marlene muttered. "Well, as much as I love hearing you ranting and raving, I do need my beauty sleep so night."

With a sigh, Lily shook her head. "Night."

But no matter how hard she tried, Lily couldn't get Marlene's words out of her head.

* * *

Lily was quietly marching through the halls when she was thrown up against the wall with a knife to her throat. She thrust her elbow out to try and dislodge whoever was holding the knife, but they easily blocked her. Cursing herself, she continued to struggle. How could she be so stupid? So unfocused?

"Stop it," a voice hissed in her ear.

It took her a moment to place it, but finally she realized it was the boy who had jumped on James yesterday. Sirius was his name.

"Good," he muttered when she settled down. "Now listen up. I know what you are." Lily went rigged at that. "You're one of those Lionhearts who used to run this country. I also know that you're probably planning to overthrow the king and James, but I'm only going to warn you once. If you harm so much as one hair on James' head, you've find yourself with a knife through your throat before you can blink."

Lily didn't dare move. They stayed like that for a moment, then the boy was gone. He must have crawled back through whatever hole he came out of. One thing was for sure, when they overthrow the king, she'd just have to take him down first.

* * *

The next time someone crept up on Lily, she was prepared. Her elbow pressed into their back, and she pushed their arm toward the middle of their back. Then she noticed the messy black hair and stepped back. Before James could speak, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a hidden alcove.

"Don't you know better than to sneak up on people?" Lily snapped as she pulled her helmet off.

"I didn't know this was here," James muttered as he gazed around the alcove.

Lily snapped her fingers in front his face. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Oh," he sighed, seeming to remember she was there. "I just, um, wanted to talk to you about my dad."

She softened. "How is he?"

"Not good," he answered. "Worse. I don't know what to do. We've had the doctors here, but they can't stop his lungs from filling with fluid. It's getting harder and harder for him to breathe everyday and it's taking such a toll on my mum."

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I wish there was something I could do to make it better."

"I don't even know why I'm bothering you with this," he said. "I know you have better things to do. Like go out and kick bad guys' arses."

Lily chuckled. "I don't mind listening. Just don't sneak up on me next time. I could have broken your arm."

"Sorry," he mumbled. They stayed in that alcove for the next hour as Lily listened to James talk about his parents and what could be done about his father. After she left, Lily couldn't help but feel a little helpless. Nothing could be done to save James' father and he was trying to fight that fact as hard as he could. Lily couldn't help but want to ease the pain.

* * *

She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but Lily couldn't help it. Especially since the conversation was about her. Currently, she was standing outside McGonagall's office as Marlene spoke to the Overseer.

". . .and I think she'd make the perfect second," Marlene was saying. "Everyone looks up to her. Not only that, she's the most loyal person ever. She'd keep whatever secrets you needed her to without complaint. Lily is honestly the best person you could pick as a second."

Lily heard movement inside the room so she rushed off. When she was a good ways off, she let Marlene's words sink in. McGonagall was looking for a second, and she was considering Lily for the job. That alone was an honor in and of itself. A smile bloomed on Lily's face.

This was the best news ever! Even if she wasn't chosen, she was still excited to be considered for the position. Her wildest dreams had never held this grand of a position. Most of all though, Lily wanted this position—enough to kill for it. If McGonagall asked her to climb the highest mountain or swim across the largest sea for this position, she would do it.

With a smile on her face, she made her way back to her room.

* * *

Lily stood next to James as his father's casket was lowered into the ground. Even Lily, who didn't know the king, had to admit it was bittersweet. In the short time that the new king had been here, he had been nothing but kind to those around him. A few times, when she had to guard James as he was eating dinner, she had witnessed the king tease his wife and son. It was. . . .odd. Most kings didn't care too much about their family life as long as they produced an heir.

"Lily," James whispered with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

Lily jolted from her thoughts. "Yes?"

"Can you please take my mum up to the castle?" James asked. "I want need a few moments."

"Of course," she said. He didn't have to tell her that he was going to say goodbye.

So Lily escorted the sniffling queen up to the castle without complaint. Still she couldn't stop herself from looking over her shoulder at the boy who would soon become king.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Lily was wearing a dress. It wasn't because she wanted to or even because she liked dresses. Her sister was still at court and Lily was off duty. If she had to see her sister, she wasn't going to give her anymore reason to argue with her.

Lily was backing away from the fountain when she rammed into someone's shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with the queen, who smiled softly at her.

"Don't look so frightened, dear," she said. "I'm not going to have you beheaded for bumping into me. What's your name? I don't remember seeing you around court."

"Lily," she managed to croak out.

"That's a lovely name," the queen sighed. "Much better than that other girl from Cokesworth. She keeps trying to corner James so she can bother him. Of course, while James may be oblivious to what she wants, I am not. That girl wants to sit on the throne, but I won't allow that. Oh, I'm sorry. You probably don't want to hear about my problems. What brings you to court?"

So that was why Petunia was still hear. She wanted to marry James. Lily almost gagged at the thought.

She remembered the queen's question. "Um. . .business."

The queen nodded. "I see. And what does your father deal in?"

"Spices," Lily answered, trying not to get too nervous.

"And you, dear? You must be bored while your father deals with his business."

"I can entertain myself."

The queen laughed. "How about I get James to show you around?"

"No!" Lily exclaimed. "I mean I like exploring thing myself."

Her eyebrows raised, the queen nodded. "Alright, but if you ever want that tour do let me know."

* * *

James was pacing the floor of his room, and Lily was about to slap them.

"Will you sit down?" she snapped. "I'm getting tired of watching you pace the floor like a caged animal."

"But what if something goes wrong?" James retorted. "What if someone tries to kill me? What if I trip?"

"Well, I'm here because someone might try to kill you," Lily said. "As for your clumsy feet, well, there's nothing I can do about that."

James glared at her as the door opened. It was his mother.

"Darling, it's time."

Taking a deep breath, James stepped out of the room and headed for the Throne Room, with Lily in tow. She couldn't help but feel fidgety as they walked down the hallways. She was sure that the queen would notice her, even though she was in armor. Sweat pooled on her brow.

"Alright," the queen said, stopping outside the door. "I'm going to go in first and then the doors will open. It's rather simple, James. You walk down the aisle and when you reach the stairs you kneel before the priest. After he has said a few words, you rise and sit on your throne. That's all there is to it."

"I know, Mum," he replied. "We've been over it a thousand times."

His mother smiled before stepping into the large room.

When she was gone, the unease that had settled in Lily's stomach vanished. A sigh escaped her lips. Not long after though, the doors opened and a flood of people were staring at them. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Immediately, her training kicked in. She was aware of everyone in the room and what they were doing. She had to be. James' life was on the line.

Lily didn't remember walking down the aisle. She certainly didn't hear the words the priest was saying. She was too busy monitoring everyone in the room. Although there were a few unhappy faces, no one looked suspicious or seemed to be planning anything. Good; she'd cut them down if they tried.

Finally, James took his seat on the throne. For a moment, Lily took her gaze off of the crowd to look at him. Yes, he did look like a king.

* * *

The message had been simple: _Come to my office now. We need to talk._ And yes, Lily knew what it was about.

McGonagall was probably pissed at her. Lily wasn't sure how she found out, but that wasn't the point. She had found out. Maybe James had gone blabbing to his friends about who she was and that was how McGonagall found out that she had let James know she was. She broke the number one rule.

The Lionhearts had survived as long as they had because of their Statute of Secrecy. Lily had broken that statute by panicking and letting James see her face. She should have killed him right then and there. However, she let him live and now she was going to pay the price.

"Lily, have a seat," McGonagall instructed her. Lily did as she was directed. "I've spoken to some of the other girls about you, Lily." One of her friends had ratted her out? How could they? "I must say I've heard some very delightful things. Not that I'm surprised, of course. You always were a hard worker, very loyal. Well, all of that hard work is going to pay off. I promise."

This wasn't about her being removed from Lionhearts?

"Miss, I'm not sure what you're saying," Lily told her.

The older women chuckled. "Of course, you don't. Lily, I want you to be my Second in Command. I've searched far and wide for a girl to take my place when I'm gone, but I have found none better than you. All of the others look up to you, and you inspire them. If you want it, the position is yours."

Lily was breathless. "Yes. The answer is yes."

* * *

Lily was right about one thing though. James had told his friends about her. She'd found out when Sirius had looked at her with a devilish smirk and said, 'so you're a girl'. She'd nearly killed James then and there, but he promised that none of them would tell.

In all honesty, his friends weren't that bad. Or Remus and Peter weren't that bad. Sirius was a terror. Not to mention, he still didn't trust her, even if he did tolerate her. So on her days off, Lily occasionally spent some time with James and his friends. Today was one of those days.

She was out in the garden when Remus showed up. He was alone and he offered her a smile.

"You know, I like you better in dresses than your armor," he told her as he sat down next to her. "You look less intimidating."

"I'm supposed to be intimidating," she responded. "It keeps people from attacking the king."

"Well, I assure you, it works," Remus told her.

A smile fell across Lily's face. Occasionally, you found people in this life who were too good for this terrible world. People who were kind and sweet and always tried their best to help others. Remus Lupin was one of those people and Lily was proud to know him.

"Lily," a voice rang through the garden.

Looking up, she saw that James had entered the garden and was walking toward them with a gleam in his eyes. Even though she tried, Lily couldn't place his look.

"I didn't know you were out here," James greeted her.

"Yes, Remus was just telling me I look better in a dress than I do in armor," she replied.

"Well, he's right," James agreed. Lily's stomach flipped.

"What are you doing out here?" Sirius asked as he strolled up behind James. "I thought you'd melt in the sun."

Lily glared at him. "No, I don't if you must know."

Then that smirked appeared and Lily wanted to smack it off his face.

"Take a joke, Evans," Sirius said. "You take things too seriously."

"Well, people who don't take things seriously usually end up dying before they reach thirty," she retorted. "And yes, I was talking about you."

Sirius spared her a glare while Remus and James both laughed. Then Peter came striding up with an annoyed look on his face.

"You know, telling the guards that someone else knocked over the suit of armor in the castle was not fun for me," Peter said with a glare at Sirius.

"Where you the one who had to tell them?" Lily asked.

"No," Peter replied. "I was the one who he blamed it on."

Lily bit her lip to keep from laughing. Even if she didn't like the rat, she had to admit Sirius was a good time.

As the hours wore on, Lily noticed a change in James' behavior. Of course, he was still very upbeat and humorous, but he sat a bit closer to her—watched Remus more than usual. And though, Lily hated to admit it, she was more than happy to have his attention focused on her, even though she knew what that focus meant. It meant he felt something for her and Lily really didn't care to think about what that feeling was. If she did think about it, she'd start down a road she where she could not travel—one that would leave her scared beyond repair. So for that reason, Lily stood up, turned toward little Peter Pettigrew, and kissed him right on the mouth. When she pulled away, she could see the anger brewing on James' face, but before it could erupt she turned and marched from the garden.

* * *

"So you just kissed him and left?" Dorcas said when she could stop laughing.

"Yes," Lily answered with a smile.

"So have you spoken to James since the incident?" Marlene asked.

"Since this evening?" Lily responded. "No. I don't think he'll want to speak to me."

Dorcas laughed again. "I doubt that. He's obviously smitten."

"How do you resist?" Marlene asked as she sat down on her bed.

"What? James?" Lily replied. "It's not that hard." A lie. "He's a king, but he has his faults and I see them everyday. Trust me, they're not flattering." True.

But perhaps that was why she liked him, even if it was just a little bit. He was strong and loyal and brave, but he was also human and he made mistakes and got upset. He never tried to hide that fact—never tried to be perfect. So in the end, maybe it wasn't his perfections that attracted Lily, but his imperfections.

* * *

McGonagall was suggesting the most outrageous thing Lily had ever heard of. James couldn't tour the country if half the country still wanted him did. On the other hand, it wasn't so outrageous. The people needed to see James as good leader who cared about them. Lily didn't know what to say. Not that she could say anything in this council meeting. She was just here to guard the king.

"No!" the queen said as she pushed her chair back and stood up. "My son will not leave this castle. Not so soon after Fleamont's death. It's not safe and I won't allow him to be harmed."

"He won't be harmed," McGonagall told the enraged queen. "He'll be with his guard at all times. Nothing bad will happen to him."

"A guard you control!" she snapped. "A guard who could kill him at your command!"

"Mother, please," James sighed as he laid a hand over the queen's. "McGonagall is right. I need to tour the country. I know you don't want me to, but it has to be done. Besides, I'm tired of dealing with the nobles at court anyway. And I trust my guard."

With that, the meeting was over and Lily and James started back to his room. Only they didn't make it there before they were interceded.

"Hello, Your Majesty," Petunia said as Lily went stiff. "How was your meeting?"

"Fine," James answered coldly.

It didn't seem to bother Petunia. "That's wonderful. I was hoping we could take a walk through the gardens this evening, and you could show me what your favorite part is."

"I'm sorry I can't," he answered. "I've got my whole evening planned." Lily knew that was a lie.

"Perhaps another time then," Petunia suggested. That was when Lily saw the gleam in her sister's eyes. James had turned her down one too many times, and she was starting to get annoyed.

"Perhaps," James said as he headed down the corridor to his chambers. Lily followed silent as the dead.

* * *

James still wasn't speaking to her, and frankly Lily was fed up with having to tip toe around him. They had been on tour for over a week now and the whole time she had been ignored. Even she didn't hold a grudge against someone for this long, especially over something as silly as a kiss. Then again, she wasn't the one with hurt pride either.

She remembered Sirius grabbing her before she and James left and making her swear that she would keep him safe. Of course, she had, but now with James ignoring her, she might just kill him herself and do them all a favor.

She was coming up with a place to hide his body when she stepped into his tent. And stopped dead in her tracks.

James had paused in pulling on his shirt while the woman who he was with finished lacing up her dress. She didn't spare Lily even a glance as she skirted around her. And why should she? Lily was only a guard after all. By now, James had finished putting his shirt on and was leaning back in his bed with his eyes closed.

Anger flooded Lily's veins. She pulled off her helmet and chucked it at his chest causing the breath to fly from his lungs. Now his eyes were open and those hazel orbs were glaring at her.

"Really?" she snapped. "You won't even speak to me, but you'll have sex with her?"

"I don't see how it's any of your concern," he responded.

"Oh really," she replied sarcasm heavy in her voice. "Well did you ever think that she might have had a knife hidden in a secret pocket in her dress?" James blanched at that and Lily knew she had won. "That's right, James. We women are more capable than you give us credit for."

This earned her another glare. "I know that. I just wasn't thinking about it at the time."

"No, you weren't thinking at all," she snapped. "You were letting your cock think for you."

"Shut up!" he shouted, standing up.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" Lily exclaimed, stepping up to him.

For a moment, satisfaction gleamed in James' eyes then that light was gone, and he was stomping away from her.

Lily sighed. "Can we please stop doing this? I'm tired of fighting. I don't want to anymore. Please, let's just go on."

James' shoulders sagged. "Why? It's not like we'll ever really be on the same side anyway."

It hurt that he would use her loyalty to the Lionhearts against her, but it didn't surprise her—mainly because it was true.

"Because it's easier," she replied. "And I don't like fighting with you."

James turned to face her. "I don't like fighting with you either."

"So that settles it," Lily responded. "We're done fighting."

"We're done fighting."

* * *

They were in the town of Appleby, riding through their muddy streets, when Lily heard it. The sound of an arrow being released from a bow. She almost wasn't fast enough, but James was on the ground seconds before the arrow could find lodging any place in his body. She was up again before James could catch his breath. Her trained eyes spotted the man running toward the edge of town before anyone else.

"Guard the king," she called in her disguised voice.

James whispered her name softly, but she ignored him and jumped on her white stallion again. The horse jumped then broke into a gallop. Lily urged him faster. If that man reached the edge of town, he could have a horse waiting. Lily wasn't about to let him escape.

As she rode closer, Lily leapt from her horse and onto the man's back. Before she could stop herself, she pulled her knife from its sheath and stabbed him in the neck. Blood gushed out and he started to choke on it. Good. He deserved to die slowly.

As she rolled off of him, she realized what she had done. She had just killed a man for the new king.

* * *

Lily didn't come back to the king's camp until late that night. She didn't want to face James knowing what she had done. It wasn't because she was ashamed. In fact, she was quite the opposite. But she should have let them kill James. That would have put a stop to his rule and the Lionhearts would have gained power again. Yet, she had saved his life and didn't feel one twinge of regret.

"There you are!" James exclaimed as she entered his tent and pulled off her helmet.

"We're going back to the castle," she told him. "We leave tomorrow."

"No, we're not," James responded. "We have to finish the tour. We're already half way through."

"I don't care," Lily said. "We're going back."

"I'm not going back," James repeated as he glared at her. "Is this because of what happened today?"

"Yes!" she burst out. "You could have been killed! I'm not putting your life in any more danger than what it already is."

"I can take care of my own life," he snapped. "We should continue."

"We're not continuing," she said. "That's final."

"You think you know what's best for everyone, but you don't. I am the king and I am in charge. Not you. If I say we're going on, then we're going on. With or without you."

The thought of him leaving this place without her spurred her into action. She grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him to her. Her lips met his without hesitation, moving harshly against his. She wanted him to know that she couldn't stand the thought of him with an arrow through his heart. She didn't want to say it, which is why she was moving her lips against his. James didn't respond to her kiss, though. In fact, he didn't even touch her at all.

Finally, Lily pulled back and stepped away from him to see his shocked face.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

Then James' arm was around her waist, and he was pulling her to him, saying 'don't be', and kissing her lips with such a bruising gentleness so that Lily thought she might die. His other hand came up to cup her cheek as she gripped his shirt again. This had to be heaven. There was no other way to describe what she was feeling in this moment.

Gently, his hands tugged at the latches holding her armor together. The chainmail was sliding off of her body in seconds. She was left in her pants and the strip of cloth binding her breasts to her chest. James let his hands fall to her waist so he could run his fingers over her hip bones. Her own hands seemed to be incapable of doing anything but clinging to him.

His tongue found its way inside her mouth before she could regain control of herself. Her knees went weak. His hands found her bum cheeks, then he was lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. For a moment, they remained as they were—Lily with her legs wrapped around his waist and James with one had on her thigh and the other across her back, their mouths sewed together. Then James started walking, but he wasn't heading for the bed, Lily realized. No, he sat her down on the table that they had been able to haul in the wagon for the journey. And, oh, at this height, Lily was able to feel just how much he was affected by her. It was a glorious feeling.

"James," she gasped as his mouth finally left hers to travel down her throat. A small smile appeared on his lips at the sound of his name and he whispered hers back. His hands pulled at the knot in her bindings and the strip of cloth was unwound from her chest. Her hips pressed against his. A hiss fell from James' lip before he attached them to the side of her neck. The nip from him surprised her, but it pleased her all the same.

Finally, she was able to regain control of her body again and started to undue his shirt. The laces gave way to her fingers very easily, and she had the shirt on the floor in an instant. Her hands ran down the length of his chest, feeling the toned muscles there and the trail of hair leading into his pants that made her groan.

A grin slipped onto James' lips. "Now, Lily, you mustn't be too loud. The men will think I'm entertaining another lady friend."

She growled under her breath before reaching down and running a hand over his pronounced member.

"Say that again," she muttered against his ear. "And I might cut this off in your sleep."

He paid no attention to her threat, knowing it was an empty one, and let his hand find her breasts as her fingers ran over him through his pants. She arched into him, thinking she was going to die as his mouth descended upon her peaked nipples. His tongue lashed out at them, swirling around the tops before he lightly nipped at them, causing heat to shoot right to Lily's core. This man was torturing her on purpose.

He moved out of reach of her hands as he went down to his knees. The sight of him there—between her legs—was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. His hands found the tie of her pants and hesitated.

"Is this what you want?" he asked, not a lick of humor in his tone.

"Yes," she breathed, equally serious. Gently, she leaned down to kiss him. He met her half way, and their lips moved slowly. Honestly, Lily didn't think he would get to go down on her. He had her ready to strip down to nothing and have a go on the floor. But he pulled away and gave her the softest smile she had ever seen so she leaned back on her hands and lifted her hips up as he pulled her pants down her legs.

Once the offending garment was removed, James kissed the inside of her thigh as he gazed up at her through his glasses, which were crooked. Shaking her head, she pulled them off and sat them on the table. James continued his journey up her thigh until his lips rested just above her bare mound. His breath fanned against her center as Lily closed her eyes and waited for him to do _something_.

His tongue finally swept out of his mouth and kissed her clit. Lily saw stars. Her hands gripped the edge of the table. Her toes curled.

"You taste so good," he mumbled. Then his tongue found her center and swept up to her clit again before sliding back down in a teasing motion. A strangled moan flew from her mouth before she could stop it, and her hips arched off the table, trying to get closer to James. His hand found her hip and pushed it back against the table. Lily wanted to yell in frustration. She wanted him inside her, but at the same time, she never wanted him to get off of his knees either.

His finger found its way to her entrance, teasing her as it remained there, but did not enter her. A whimper worked its way up her throat and she was powerless to stop it from falling from her lips. Never before had any lover—male or female—made her feel this good. There was something about James—something about his very being that drove her wild—drove her to the point of insanity. And she loved every minute of it.

As his finger slid inside her, Lily moaned in relief. Her hips tried to buck off of the table, but his other hand clenched around her hip, and he was able to keep her down. Annoyed, she flopped back on the table so she wouldn't have to look at his face, however, this just made everything worse because she could spy his messy hair between her legs, which caused her to moan in pleasure. One thing was for sure, James wanted to take his time with her.

Gently, he rubbed his finger against that one spot that always made her scream in the heat of the moment, so she jerked upward—back into her sitting position—and tangled her fingers in his messy black locks.

"James, please," she begged as she watched him. Those seemed to the words he was looking for because his tongue started to press roughly against her clit, and he pushed another finger inside of her. Closing her eyes, she let him ring every inch of pleasure she could ever feel out of her. She had no idea that anyone could make her feel as much as the man who was kneeling before her.

Her end came swiftly, but it wasn't over quickly. It came in waves and just when she thought it over another wave would hit her. Her moans rose as his fingers worked her. As she started to come from her high, James slowed his pace, but kept his fingers and tongue on her. Finally, when Lily was completely spent, he stood up with a grin on his face.

"You're a horrible person," she mumbled as she leaned her head against his chest.

"Hmm, that wasn't what you were saying a few seconds ago," he replied, as he stroked her back. That comment earned him a smack to the chest.

James kissed her forehead before pulling away from her. Lily's fingers wound into his belt loops and yanked him back to her.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"I was going to put my clothes on," he responded, sounding confused.

"Oh, you think we're done," she laughed. "That's cute."

James smiled. "We don't have to do that if you don't want to."

"Oh, I do," she told him with a smirk as she slid an arm around his neck.

So his mouth found hers again and Lily once again returned to heaven.

* * *

Lily awoke to an empty cot and the smell of bacon and eggs. Groggy and slightly annoyed, she rose onto her elbows to find James setting plates of food on the table—the table they had sex on last night. A smirk slid across Lily's face before she sat up and stretched. James heard the cot groan and flashed her a grin.

"What? You're not going to serve me breakfast in bed?" she asked.

"Did you want breakfast in bed?" he responded.

She shook her head as she rose to her feet. James was leaning against the table, watching her while she made her way over to him. His eyes were fixed on the piece of clothing that she had donned. In her opinion, his shirt fit her rather nicely. When she reached him, Lily pushed herself onto her tip toes and kissed him softly. James' hands found their way to her waist and held her there. Pulling away, she leaned her head against his chest.

"Thank you," she muttered. "For breakfast."

After untangling herself from him, Lily grabbed a fork and took a bite of her eggs.

"What does this mean for your job?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" she replied, turning to face him.

"When you tell the Overseer about what we did—don't deny it, I know you will—will they send someone else to guard me?" he inquired.

"No," she told him. "This doesn't affect my job. I know how to keep those things separate. Our professional relationship won't change."

"Alright," he said. "Do you have something for pregnancy?"

"Yeah," she answered. "It's in my bags."

"What if you're already pregnant?"

"James, sperm doesn't work that way. It takes more than just a few hours to get pregnant."

"But what if your protection doesn't work?"

"Then we'll figure it out if it comes to that."

James nodded and Lily was finally able to eat her breakfast in peace.

* * *

The castle gates never looked so welcoming. Grim and dirt covered Lily, and she was more than ready for a bath. Maybe James would even join her. After they dismounted, they handed their horses to the stable hands. James turned to grin at her before heading up to the castle. Despite herself, Lily smiled.

That smile was wiped off of her face though when they entered the front door. The queen was waiting for them. When she saw them, she launched herself at Lily with a screech. Too surprised to respond, Lily was forced back a few steps as the queen clawed at her.

"It's your fault!" she shouted. "My son almost died and it's your fault!"

"Mother, calm down," James demanded as he held her back. "My guard is the reason I'm alive."

"No! It's his fault!" she screamed. "It's his fault!" Finally, her screams turned to sobs as she clung to James. Lily watched mortified that something she had done had upset this women so greatly. Then James caught her eye. He nodded to the hallway that lead to her chambers as he held his crying mother. Lily quickly scurried away.

When she reached her chambers, she found that there was no one there. That was odd. Usually one of the girls were in their chambers by now. Shrugging, Lily plopped down on her bed and started to pull off her armor. Then she heard running footsteps. Turning around, she saw Marlene standing in the doorway, wide eyed and tears running down her face.

"You need to come with me now," she said quietly.

Lily grabbed a white shirt and pulled it over her head. Then she and Marlene were heading down the hall. Lily knew where they were going. Something was wrong with McGonagall. When they reached her room, Alice was standing at the doorway.

"She wants to see you," she told Lily.

Nodding, Lily stepped through the doorway and found the Overseer on her bed with a stew of bloody rags along her bedside table. As quietly as she could, Lily pulled a chair over to her bed and sat down next to her.

"How long have you been sick?" she asked.

"For over a year," the older women told her.

"How did you hide it from us?"

"Cosmetics, my dear, and padding in my clothes. It wasn't something any of you needed to know about until it was time. I did not want your pity."

"No, but you could have used our help. We could have taken on more of your duties and you would have been able to live longer."

A snort sounded from her mouth. "Lily, everyone is going to die someday. There is no use delaying that."

"It's why you wanted a second, isn't it? So there wouldn't be chaos among us when you were gone."

"You're too smart for your own good."

Looking down, Lily tried to hide the tears in her eyes. She wanted McGonagall here with her. There wasn't a time when she didn't need the older women's advice or when she just wanted to talk to her. McGonagall had been like a mother to her in so many ways and now she was leaving this world forever. Lily didn't want to accept that.

"Lily, listen to me," McGonagall commanded, her voice ragged. "Lead the girls to safety. Don't let them do anything foolish and make sure you keep finding new recruits. We need to continue with our mission."

Lily nodded. There was silence for a long while. Lily didn't know what to do. Should she hold her hand? Should she offer to get a minister to say words over her when she was gone? When she looked up, none of that mattered, McGonagall was already gone.

* * *

Lily's room was moved. She now had a whole room to herself. It was new and she wasn't sure she liked it. After McGonagall had passed away, Lily was immediately promoted to Overseer. Now that she had the position, she wasn't sure she wanted it. A knock sounded at her door and Lily asked them to come in.

Marlene and Mary stepped into the room, neither of them uttering a word. Mary sat on Lily's new bed as Marlene took a seat in one of her chairs.

"Where's Doe?" Lily asked.

"Back in our room," Mary answered her. "She said she wanted to be alone."

Lily nodded. "What are you doing here?"

Marlene looked at Mary. "James is asking for you. He heard about McGonagall."

"Does he knew that I'm in charge now?" she inquired.

"Yes," Mary told her. "Marlene explained what happened."

"I'll go talk to him then," Lily muttered.

"Wait, Lily," Marlene protested. "Well, Mary and I just wanted to ask you about James. I noticed when I was talking to him that he was started to act a bit differently when I mentioned you. Did. . .did something happen between you two?"

Lily nodded. She had no intention of lying to her friends. "We had sex."

"You. . .you did?" Mary gasped.

"Yeah," she said. "We had sex. Now, unless you have anymore questions about what happened between us, I'm going to go and see what he wants."

Neither of the girls said anything as Lily turned and left her new room.

* * *

Not even bothering to knock, Lily opened the door to James' room and walked inside. Immediately, he stood up and pulled her into a hug.

"Lily, I'm so sorry," he muttered into her hair. "I know she meant a lot to you."

Lily just nodded and let James' scent surround her—sandalwood and lavender. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as he muttered soothing words in her ear. Try as she might, Lily couldn't feel anything right now.

"Do you want to talk about it?" James asked.

"No," she answered, pulling away to look at him. "No, I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright. If you want to, you can stay here tonight," he offered.

"Thank you."

James nodded and kissed her collar bone before she pulled away and went over to his dresser. She heard the bed creak behind her as she stripped out of her pants and shirt only to put James' on. She could feel James' eyes on her as she finished buttoning up his shirt.

As Lily started to climb into bed, James opened his arms. A sad smile fell across her face as she climbed into his lap and rested her forehead against chest.

"It's going to get better," James told her. "Maybe not right now, but someday it's going to get better."

Lily didn't believe him though, so she just kissed him instead.

* * *

Lily wasn't used to sitting in on council meetings—at least not in the way she had to now. She was sitting in McGonagall's seat, and she was actually aloud to express her opinion now.

". . .Riddle's armies," James was saying. "They're already advancing on our borders. We've sent out our forces to meet them, but I don't think that will be enough."

"Send out a notice," Lily suggested. "Tell all the people to be prepared to leave on a moment's notice. Have the best guards on duty. Don't take any chances."

Lily tuned out what the rest of the council was saying. She was just filling a position, she reminded herself. There was no way McGonagall could really be gone. She was going to come back because Lily wasn't ready for this job. Not yet.

"Lily?" James muttered as she placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and realized everyone was gone.

"I'm fine," she said before he could ask.

"No, you're not," he responded, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. His hand found the curve of her cheek, and Lily let him kiss her. She was happy for the distraction. However, it didn't last long. A gasp came from the door.

Pulling away from James, Lily saw her sister standing in the doorway with a hand over her mouth. Before anyone could say anything, Petunia was gone. Lily slipped out of James' grasp and ran after her. Thanks to her training, she was able to catch her fairly easily.

"Petunia, wait," Lily said as she grabbed her arm.

"Why?" her sister demanded as she spun to face her. "Why should I do anything that you ask?"

"It's not what you think."

"Oh, so you weren't kissing the king? I don't know how but you knew I was here and you knew I was planning to court him. You knew and you kissed him anyway. Explain that away."

"Tunny, I-"

Before Lily could finish her sentence, Petunia had yanked her arm from her grasp and was striding down the hall. As hard as she tried, Lily couldn't stop her tears from falling.

* * *

Lily couldn't stand to be in the tunnels where the Lionhearts were now. There were to many memories there and all that did was make her angry. Besides, why would she stay there where she couldn't find any peace, when she could stay with James and fuck her anger away? The latter seemed like a much better idea to her. So that was why a good majority of her things were now in James' room.

"Lily," James whined as he leaned over to kiss her shoulder. "You've been working on that all day."

"Your point being?" she said as she flipped through another report that a Lionheart had given her.

"I would like to have some time with you when you're not invested in your work?"

"Well, we don't always get what we want."

That response earned her a snort. She was so consumed in her work, she didn't even notice James kneeling down before her. He had lifted her over his shoulder before she could blink.

"Put me down!" she screeched as she tried to keep from laughing.

"Nope," he said. Despite her protests, he carried her back into the bedroom, then dropped her on the bed. With a smile on his face, he crawled on top of her. "Now isn't this much better than work?"

"Yeah," she answered as she grabbed his face between her hands and kissed him.

* * *

Anger seeped through Lily's veins. He'd gone through her things. She'd been foolish enough to trust him and he'd gone through her things. With loud footsteps, she marched into his bedroom.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she snapped. "You don't just go through other people's things."

James glared at her. "I didn't go through any of your stuff. Not until I saw this lying on the top of your desk."

He launched a paper onto the table, which she quickly snatched up. It was a letter from Marlene. Written on it were ideas on how to overthrow James. Shit.

"You want to explain that?" he asked. "Or do you want to know what else I found?"

"I don't want to know anything," she replied, anger returning. "I know what's in my desk. You, however, should not."

"Oh, so I should just let you go on and plan my downfall? Is that what I should do?"

"I'm not plotting anything! I just need more time to convince the others that overthrowing you isn't a good idea!"

James deflated. "Why'd you do it in the first place?"

"I didn't know you and you'd just come into my land and taken over. What was I supposed to do? Welcome you with open arms?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For. . .I don't know. I'm just sorry."

Lily sighed and leaned her head on his chest. "You need to do what's best for both of our peoples—not just yours."

"Lily, I wouldn't exclude a certain people," James told her. "Especially not one who had been here first."

* * *

"You're cheating!" Lily exclaimed as she threw her cards down.

Sirius smirked. "Not at all. I'm just that good."

Lily glared at him and turned to James. "How do you stand him?"

James just grinned at her in response.

She hadn't meant to end up playing cards with the four boys. In fact, she'd come up here to get into bed early. When Remus had asked to join them, though, she hadn't been able to resist. None of them had asked her about the stunt she pulled when she kissed Peter, so she supposed she was forgiven, if any of them were ever mad at her.

"Darling, Lily, as you can see, I'm the best at this game," Sirius told her with a smirk.

"You're a dirty cheater is what you are," she spat.

Sirius threw back his head and laughed as she got up and marched away from the table. James caught her around the waist as she reached him. She smiled up at him even though she had lost. His answering grin was enough to light a fire in her belly.

"If you two are going to get all mushy, go in the bedroom!" Sirius cried.

"Shut up, Sirius!" they both called.

* * *

There was another annoyingly stuffy ceremony that she and James had to attend. Since Lily had taken over as Overseer, she didn't guard James very often anymore. Marlene or Dorcas were usually on duty in her place. Today, though, Dorcas was positioned on the west side of the castle and Marlene wasn't feeling well, so Lily took her place.

It felt funny, though. She wasn't sure why, but something felt off. Looking around, everything appeared to be normal and there was no food to poison either. She wondered why she was so on edge.

Glancing to the right, she saw the queen. She had been shocked to find out that Lily was a part of the Lionhearts, but she hadn't been anything but kind to her in the council meetings. Lily wondered if the queen had some secret agenda that she was working towards. Even if she did, she was a nice women.

Her distraction with the queen cost her. A man with a mask drawled his sword. He was far too close to James. Lily interceded him before he could reach the king though. However, he was ready for her. His sword met hers without any effort. Lily knew before he even swung his sword again that she was outmatched. This man was older than she was and had more experience. He probably knew every trick that she planned to use.

Still, that didn't stop her from trying to fight him. She swung left then backpedaled and swung right aiming for his exposed side. He was onto her though and moved too swiftly for her to catch him. Before she knew it, Lily was being run through with a sword.

* * *

"Where is she?" James demanded to know.

"We can't tell you that," Dorcas said, stone faced.

"I want to see her!" he raged. "I need to know if she's alright!"

"She got stabbed with a poisoned sword!" Marlene exclaimed. "Do you think she's alright?!"

"I just want to see her," he begged. "That's all I'm asking for."

"If she hadn't been guarding you, she wouldn't be lying in a bed trying to recover from poison on the tip of a sword that was meant for you," Marlene spat. "It's your fault that she's lying in that bed right now, so no, I'm not going to tell you where she is."

With that, Marlene stormed from the room. Dorcas watched him for a moment before leaving as well. James didn't bother to have them followed as he sat down on his bed.

* * *

It had been ten days. Ten days and still no word on how Lily was fairing. All of the Lionhearts had managed to disappear in this time so James had no one to question. He had to settle for pacing his room constantly.

"Would you stop that," Sirius demanded. "You're making me nervous."

James glared at him. "I can't help it. I can't do anything else."

"I don't know why you're bothering," Sirius sighed.

"Because I care about her," James snapped. "I don't know why you're questioning me."

"Because you're being an idiot?" Sirius suggested. "It's not like you were supposed to be with her." When James gave him an indignant look, he elaborated. "She was your guard—one that didn't particularly care for your father's rule and probably didn't want you to rule either. To let her get as close as she did was—and I'm sorry to say this, James—rather stupid."

Sirius wasn't far from the truth, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"What Sirius means is that maybe it's for the best," Remus cut in. "I know you liked her a lot, but, in the end, she would have only brought you pain."

James had no reply to this.

* * *

As hard as he tried, James couldn't find out anymore about Lily. No matter what he did, none of the Lionhearts ever surfaced. He didn't know how they were hiding themselves so well. He shouldn't be thinking about this right now. Not when they were being attacked, but he couldn't get Lily out of his mind.

Riddle's forces had come closer and closer to the castle and James had been unable to do anything to stop them. The forces he sent out were cut down like chattel. The only option he had was to fight them on home soil. So he let them get closer and closer to the castle. Now the battle was raging outside their gates. He didn't care if he was king, James was not going to let his people fight this battle on his own.

Despite the protests from his men, he ran out into the thick of the battle. He cut down men in a blind haze, taking his frustration from not seeing Lily out on them. Something caught his eye then. It was Marlene—dressed for battle—marching toward the battle field and unleashing herself on those poor helpless men. James had never seen anything so magnificent. Dorcas was not far behind her.

His distraction cost him. A man elbowed his side and sent him staggering to the left. James lost his footing and fell to the ground. The man raised his sword above his head and started to bring it down. Before the blade met his flesh, a knife slammed into the man's throat. Surprise overtook James. Turning his head sharply, he saw Lily striding toward him—completely healthy, red hair flowing in a braid behind her, and furious.

"What the hell," she growled as she pulled him to his feet. "Are you insane? You could have been killed."

"You're supposed to be sick," he managed to chock out.

"I recovered fully three days ago," she said, her tone softening. "Marlene and Dorcas wouldn't let me tell you."

Before he could say anything else, Lily slammed her sword into the side of a soldier, hitting a vital organ and sending him to the ground crying out in pain. James followed her lead and entered back into the battle. They didn't have time to talk. That would come later.

Despite having the Lionhearts on their side, they were still losing. Riddle outnumbered them ten to one. There was no coming out of this battle, James realized. They were both going to die.

He glanced over at Lily only to see her looking back at the castle. She was nodding at someone who was on top of the castle wall. James watched in amazement as huge balls of wood were rolled onto catapults and launched at Riddle's men. It took out a good number of their forces.

"You're a genius," he muttered to Lily.

"Nah," she replied with a grin. "Those have been underground for years."

With that, the battle resumed. The catapults gave them the edge they needed. As Riddle's forces dwindled, they drew back. Eventually, there were riding away in a hurry. Good, James thought. Let them try and come back for his country.

Turning, he grabbed Lily by the waist and kissed her. Her response was eager as she pushed herself up against him.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," he muttered as they broke apart.

"I'll try," was her response.

* * *

 _Seven years later_

Lily watched her son play from the balcony above the garden. He was chasing after a frog—trying to cage the poor creature. She took pity on it. What she found hilarious, though, was redhead that was sneaking up on him without his notice. That was Ginny Weasley. The newest recruit to the Lionhearts. The girl showed great promise. She was also a bit of a troublemaker.

"Please, tell me you're not spying on Harry again."

Lily turned around to settle her husband with a look. He just raised an eyebrow in response. Seven years of marriage and she still never tired of seeing him look like that.

"I'm not spying," she told him. "I'm just making sure that he's ok."

Just as she finished her sentence, cries of 'gotcha', 'get off', and 'that's not fair' rose from the garden. Lily spun around to see that Ginny had tackled Harry to the ground much to his dismay.

"Is he alright?" James asked.

Lily smiled. "He's fine."

"You're horrible to him," he said, shaking his head.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm the horrible one."

James grinned as he crossed the room and took her into his arms. Lily allowed him to kiss her before she pulling back and looked him in the eye.

"I have something to tell you," she said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant."

James glanced down at her stomach before moving his eyes back to her face. "Really?"

"Yes."

Another grin broke out on his face and he picked her up and spun her around. Lily laughed until he put her down.

"I love you," he muttered as he rested her forehead against hers.

"I love you, too."


End file.
